Do you still use Windows sometimes? And why?

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nooby
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#181 Post by nooby »

Thanks, yes if one get what you told me on your level of understanding then that seems very easy. But I barely get what you refer to. I have never done such before and most things I do just fails.

But sure I can start all over with a dedicated lupu525 and give it what you say. Or I can even try to start up the very noisy Desktop and use the CD DVD and get unetbootin to install Ubuntu on a DVD and then install MakeHuman on the Ubuntu maybe or use Ubuntu to install it on a USB flash memory and that way get some space to save things on.

Or start up an old HP/Compaq and install Ubuntu on that one or maybe if makehuman works on it use the winxp that is there but never get online with it only use puppy to download things and then use a usb to transfer the downloads. That woul make it safe to use. Everythign is possible if one have the motivation and time and skills :)
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vtpup
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#182 Post by vtpup »

I used Win98SE for 8 years straight, and completely bypassed XP. Then I found Ubuntu and shortly after Puppy. I've been running various versions of puppy from 310 up to 4.3.2 v3 ever since.

I dislike Microsoft and have wished that Linux in one form or another would allow me to break the Win98 longevity record. But version changes of official Ubuntu, (and Puppy too, I'm sorry to say) have not tried to build on a base software version, but have proceeded in revolutionary steps of about 8 months duration for any particular version.

I find that Linux requires much tweaking under the hood to get working the various programs and capabilities I need, day to day. That includes heavy graphics, CAD, CAM, and engineering software, mutlimedia, and text layout software with many needs for data compatibility with industry standards in Windows and Mac.

Once that system is finally all working, the last thing I want to do is upgrade to a new version of the OS. Because upgrades always break things, and I then have to spend another couple months off and on researching and modifying to get things working smoothly again. And why do I have to upgrade at all? Because the "official" version (and much support) has moved on in an incompatible way, instead of concentrating on the same OS version, and improving that in a compatible way.

If we could simply hit an "upgrade" button and then get back to work on our old programs with no need to troubleshoot major failures, I'd have no problem with new versions of the OS. But of course, the opposite is true. In fact most version "upgrades" are impossible. TYou must start from scratch with a new personal savefile.

For recreation I use "difficult" programs -- building model airplanes are a hobby, for instance, and I find I need to dual boot back into windows to run things like FMS model flight simulator (it crashes in wine -- the program, not the plane) and CNC design and foam cutting software like Tjoide. These also just will not work in wine on Puppy at all. There are no equivalent apps in Linux. These have some unique features not matched by generic simulators or cnc foam cutting programs.

Also in "almost but not quite category", windows "cheap" 3D cads -- DesignCAD and Turbocad, now do work in wine. but TurboCAD crashes occasionally (and who wants to "occasionally" lose that kind of work!) I think DesignCAD may finally be a Wine gold runner, but is less well supported than Turbocad.

Bottom line, sure I'd love to cut the cord entirely and wipe the windows poartition. But seems like there are just a lot of capabilities in niche areas on windows that are not available on Linux.

I look forward to the day, too when one official fork of Puppy decides to be a long term evolution product with true upgrade support rather than a latest and greatest version revolution, dead and buried 6 months down the line.

How about a ten year version of Puppy to smackdown Win98's "viable in old age" record?

ps. I gave up on 98se last year when AVG and Mozilla quit supporting it. Without a current browser and virus killer, it became too much of a liability to keep using even occasionally, so I finally succumbed to xp, also obsolete, but still usable.

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Colonel Panic
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#183 Post by Colonel Panic »

I see where you're coming from vtpup, but I see linux's frequent changes as a strength - it means it's evolving fast. Look how long it took Microsoft to release a tabbed browser even after both Opera and Mozilla Seamonkey / Firefox showed that the concept was viable, for instance. Is that kind of institutional inertia really something to be encouraged or applauded?

One option you could consider is to get a copy of a rolling Linux distro which updates itself continually as new updates become available. There aren't many of these but they do exist. Here's a favourable review of one I'm seriously considering if or when I get broadband at home;

http://www.dedoimedo.com/computers/linu ... ebian.html

Arch is another one, but unfortunately I couldn't get it to finish booting on my (admittedly rather old) machine.

Regards,

CP .
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nooby
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#184 Post by nooby »

Here is another such need???

Some of the programs that allow one to root an Android Mobile Phone need windows and even .Net on it.

But Linux is slowly gaining ground so for Debian and Ubuntu there are some progress now that one can use them too. So it looks promising that we can stop using Ms Windows for good. That would be a good thing.

My hope just now is the Open Hardware Society or what the name is.

If every Linux user would donate to a trusty investor in doing hardware that was cutting edge but totally compatible with teh Linux kernel then if all Linux users did buy that mother board or computer then it could grow to be a competition. One need high volumes so it become economical.

The only other way is to take something with high volume already like Amazon Kindle or similar and make a rooted version and proceed from there.
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myke
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Rolling Distributions

#185 Post by myke »

The problem is that when the kernel gets upgraded (and that happens with a rolling distribution) driver modules may break. The only advantage with a rolling distribution is that you can still run with the old kernel.

What can happen, if you are not careful, is that a package update (app + libraries) may not work. So, you have to be vigilant and scrutinize any updates. On the other hand, if you refuse an upgrade, you may find the distribution deleting any software that was no longer supported without the upgrade.

Ultimately, besides a kernel upgrade, you could receive a C library upgrade, which actually is the same as getting a new version of a distribution because you would have to download all the packages compiled with the new C library.

Finally, if you refuse a security update, you may put your system in jeopardy.

One possible way to work would be to favour so-called portable Linux applications. I am not sure whether the applications you want are all available in that manner.

BTW, this is not a theoretical discussion. All the issues I described have happened to me (not with puppy).

myke
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vtpup
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#186 Post by vtpup »

Always surprised when people unconsciously assume there should be only one kind of Linux in arguing with a simply expressed need which is different than the current approach.

The fact that someone might conceivably want a stable supported long term version of Puppy Linux does not mean they are arguing that another version of Puppy Linux which changes frequently isn't a strength.

Sure change is a strength in one scenario. If you like that, use that type of Puppy Linux then.

In another scenario, stability is a strength. Thus, I'd like to use a Linux of that sort. Preferably a type of Puppy.

Seems like both can coexist. Why argue about whether change is good or bad? That will never be settled. Human needs are diverse. Puplets and forks are encouraged here, not discouraged.
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mickee
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#187 Post by mickee »

So... Windows. Yes I have Win 7 on my main PC. But made the mistake of installing Puppy 5.2 on my ancient laptop. This was Feb 8th. I have not used my main PC for more than a few minutes since then (Have to sync my BlackBerry on it and my Zune).

I also have a Mac G4 which I even use more often than my Win 7 machine. I am just about to be prepared to use Linux on the main PC by next Windows upgrade time. The PC will not see Windows 8 and I fully believe I will be able to sync the Berry and can just drag and drop on the Zune, so I should be ok. Currently I am dual booting that PC with ubuntu.
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#188 Post by nyunda »

i still use winxp, my old machine run like a turtle, its been so long, & suddenly in one night i browsing internet with a cup of bad coffee & a cigarette, & find Puppy site, read the manual, slowly but sure i start to learn Puppy, then i try to install Puppy, & hey my pc run like high end machine, but i still doubt, windows has msoffice, & in Puppy i dont find the equal & again i wrong when i install libreoffice, the feature is complete & i install wine, it can install & run some of windows software & mini game, & definitely if i understand enough about Puppy, i dont need winxp again.

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Colonel Panic
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#189 Post by Colonel Panic »

Text editing. There are a number of good text editors for Linux but I haven't found one which is as easy to use (and has the range of features I want to use for writing posts, letters etc. in text format) as Helios Software's Textpad. It's probably the one thing which makes me reluctant to ditch Windows altogether. It will run in Wine, but more slowly.

If made to compromise I'd probably just use Abiword for my text editing (and save things in .txt format) though.
Gigabyte M68MT-52P motherboard, AMD Athlon II X4 630, 5.8 GB of DDR3 RAM and a 250 GB Hitachi hard drive running Ubuntu 16.04.6, MX-19.2, Peppermint 10, PCLinuxOS 20.02, LXLE 18.04.3, Pardus 19.2, exGENT 200119, Bionic Pup 8.0 and Xenial CE 7.5 XL.

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Bernie_by_the_Sea
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#190 Post by Bernie_by_the_Sea »

mickee wrote:(Have to sync my BlackBerry on it and my Zune).
If all you want to do is sync the Berry, I do that with Barry in Puppy. To do more with the Berry such as install apps from the desktop, you still need Windows. I'm using Barry-0.16-i486 in Wary 500.
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puppyluvr
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#191 Post by puppyluvr »

:D Hello,
OK, so I had not booted the win 7u I installed on my laptop since I installed it.. I need it because I do a lot of "buddy tech support" and may, tho not as of yet, may need to boot to it to familiarize myself with something....
So, as I was frustrated with trying to get my 3G phone, a nokia e71, to function as a modem directly, (it does wireless with puppy fine, but gets hot from the radio, so I want to do it directly...) I booted to `doze, and hooked it up....
I hate to admit it, but it was one click, (and 3 eula`s LOL ) later, and vazoom...Every function works, sync, modem, etc....
That is disgusting...Its not Linux...Its the symbian OS on my phone...It is set up to recognize Windoze and the software is Windoze dependent...
When I get it running in wine, I`ll post the process I use...
I can access it as a dir, so sync is unnecessary. And BK has a thread about 3G modems that will soon produce the answer, so either way, it WILL eventually work...But the fact that full functionality is Windoze dependent ticks me off...Symbian was replaced with Windoze mobile in the next series phone after mine, so I`m glad I got it when I did, because I`d bet the firmware in the win version is really Linux unfriendly...
If the OEM manufacturer `s allow their products to be tied to Windoze, or dont support/release Linux drivers, they are just "slaves to the machine"..
OEM hardware support will come more and more, but should be DEFAULT...
Dont these fools see the market advantage to multi-platform compatibility???
So, I admit it....I used Windoze... :oops:
Shhh.... :roll:
It was only once...
It wont become a habit... :shock:
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ShellyCat
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#192 Post by ShellyCat »

I sometimes use Windows XP Pro, for the following:

(1) - Anki (Japanese-aware flashcard software)
(2) - The Rosetta Stone (really old demo that does not work in WINE)
(3) - To have an IME without spending hours configuring

However, the only computer that can handle XP won't boot now.

The other computer with XP is way too slow to run TRS, or to install Service Pack 3. In fact, it's barely usable with just anti-virus and firewall installed...hence I only turn it on and update it occasionally. Also, I prefer Firefox with some extensions (at minimum Xmarks, NoScript, and AdBlock Plus), so everytime I start the browser it takes hours to check for and download updates, too!

Quickset Puppy solves #3 (and I expect it to work on the slow computer). #2 cannot be done, but that's the least important. I hope that I can find Anki for Quickset Puppy!

Then I really won't need Windows, for good!!

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#193 Post by ShellyCat »

Colonel Panic wrote:Text editing. There are a number of good text editors for Linux but I haven't found one which is as easy to use...as Helios Software's Textpad.
Have you tried EditPad Lite? There are Windows and Linux versions. Being a newbie to Puppy, I don't know whether or not .pet packages are available.

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#194 Post by Aitch »

ShellyCat

The Rosetta stone has a new demo on their website, in exchange for your email

http://www.rosettastone.co.uk/offer/bra ... 4QodXwjvCQ

Anki has an Ubuntu package that would probably run in LUPU 525, but I don't know how old your 'old computer' is...as to whether it would run it?

There is also source code for ANKI so maybe someone could compile it/make a .pet?

http://ankisrs.net/#linux

Apparently later versions do run in Wine but you have to add Winefonts

Have you seen Chris's excellent 'Fix Windows' thread....

http://murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?t=58305

If you don't have any luck you could try Puppy LUPU 525 on it...

HTH

Aitch :)

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#195 Post by ShellyCat »

Aitch wrote:ShellyCat

The Rosetta stone has a new demo on their website, in exchange for your email

http://www.rosettastone.co.uk/offer/bra ... 4QodXwjvCQ
Thanks for the alert. Unfortunately, the online demo isn't very useful, except to see how TRS works. My old 9-language "demo" CD probably has 1 year's worth of instruction in each language, and it saves and tracks lesson progress and test results for multiple users.
Aitch wrote:Anki has an Ubuntu package that would probably run in LUPU 525, but I don't know how old your 'old computer' is...as to whether it would run it?
Currently I use Quickset Puppy, which I believe is Ubuntu-based, so that should be great! (Currently, I'm testing puppies old an desktop...sorry, that makes 3 computers, 2 working both old.)

My old computer laptop has no problem running Anki, even in XP...except while the anti-virus or Firefox add-on updates are loading, which Anki can't control. I think Quickset Puppy install should go okay since the installer is menu-based, as long as drivers work once I get to X. As a worst case, I can just use Anki here (really old desktop) which has slower CPU but more RAM (Puppy should be better...no need for anti-virus). I'd prefer not to use this old desktop, though, since I'd need to buy larger IDE disks for permanent use. I have 10 G of documents/photos/websites backed up from the broken laptop (Slackware, originally Windows), which I often access at the same time...yes, 10 G! And I could not see myself designing websites on this desktop where I'm testing Puppies...I'd have to splurge for a decent monitor, which I can't do and would be far more than the desktop's worth.
Aitch wrote:There is also source code for ANKI so maybe someone could compile it/make a .pet?
As a last resort...I hope it would work. Anki's complicated dependencies (blame it on Python) are tangled webs I don't want to touch. I assume (could be wrong) finding inter-dependent ".pet"s would be the same nightmare.
Aitch wrote:http://ankisrs.net/#linux

Apparently later versions do run in Wine but you have to add Winefonts
My reference to Wine was regarding TRS. Are you suggesting another option in case the .pet for Anki doesn't work? (If so, good suggestion!) I deduce the Anki .pet would work, or some extra configuration for Quickset would be documented somewhere, since Quickset is Japanese/English and Anki is probably popular with Quickset users.
Aitch wrote:Have you seen Chris's excellent 'Fix Windows' thread....

http://murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?t=58305

If you don't have any luck you could try Puppy LUPU 525 on it...
No, but that sounds like a must-read! Since screwing up my Slackware install on my "good" laptop, it won't boot live or install CD/DVD of any kind (except Fedora Core, which wouldn't complete install past Disc 1) or from USB, though it did them all before -- which doesn't even make sense! (How can a corrupted hard disk prevent a CD from booting???)

I hope I can recover my docs myself (no $$), then try BIOS upgrade from live CD (no floppy drive to do this). If Puppy can boot maybe I won't have to pay $70 just to get my docs, photos, etc. (I suppose I should be testing this first, but got sidetracked trying Quickset Puppy because I need to make Japanese files on a regular basis.) The 10 G of backups are 6 months old now, at least. So that thread will be where I start.

I desperately need to do weekly backups on rotated DVD-RW or CD-RW or something! I hate wasting so many, but I don't have a good computer to use for network backup at this point. And I've had to use the "oldies" for emergency use, anyway.

Thanks for all the suggestions, Aitch...they give me some direction to start toward!
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#196 Post by Cust0dian »

WinXP on PC, only because of Adobe products needed for work.

Apart from that — Puppy for inner calmness and OpenSuse for Ruby/Python dzen. :)

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Colonel Panic
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#197 Post by Colonel Panic »

A quick update; at the moment I'm managing without Windows, since all the things I need to do in Windows I can do using Wine running in Puppy or Absolute :)

I don't think Wine is yet at a stage where it's a full replacement for Windows though, though I'd love to be proved wrong (there used to be a version of Slax called "Kill Bill," which was apparently based on this very concept).
Last edited by Colonel Panic on Tue 24 Jul 2012, 14:19, edited 1 time in total.
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stu90

#198 Post by stu90 »

Nope - no windows install here nor do i use wine for any windows software.

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#199 Post by yarddog »

I have windows 98 on one computer that I use for recording music.
Program is Easy CD Creator 4 that has features that I really like.
This is used only couple of times a year, otherwise, all my work is on Linux.

yarddog

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mickee
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#200 Post by mickee »

Bernie_by_the_Sea wrote:
mickee wrote:(Have to sync my BlackBerry on it and my Zune).
If all you want to do is sync the Berry, I do that with Barry in Puppy. To do more with the Berry such as install apps from the desktop, you still need Windows. I'm using Barry-0.16-i486 in Wary 500.
http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewto ... 910#514910

Thanks, Bernie
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Linux is [i][b]NOT[/b][/i] Windows. Doesn't [i][b]PRETEND[/b][/i] to be, Doesn't [i][b]WANT [/b][/i]to be; Don't try to [i][b]MAKE[/b][/i] it be.

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